


Of Stolen Kisses

by Meraki_Viajera



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, The Mandalorian (TV)
Genre: 1920s, Alternate Universe - 1920s, Alternate Universe - Bodyguard, Bodyguard Romance, Established Relationship, Fantasy, M/M, Neck Kissing, Romantic Fluff, Touch-Starved, interrupted smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-19
Updated: 2021-02-19
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:55:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,037
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29567841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Meraki_Viajera/pseuds/Meraki_Viajera
Summary: His bodyguard radiated like a golden sun above him, shining for only Din’s eyes to see. Mere mortals weren’t made to stare at such beauty, but Din would rather go blind than look away.
Relationships: Din Djarin/Cobb Vanth
Comments: 11
Kudos: 36
Collections: DinCobb Valentine's Bingo 2021





	Of Stolen Kisses

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! I had some vibes for 1920s bodyguard/mob boss, and thus this little bodyguard (with fantasy elements) AU was born. Really, it was just an excuse to write some steamy neck kisses while avoiding writing smut because my asexual brain said *no*. 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it x

A chill blew into the room as the last member of the hired band left the party. Moonlight bled through the windows, curtains not yet drawn by his staff. Gideon and Pershing were finishing the last of their drinks, a much more palpable feeling in the air than the one they’d brought with them. Most of Gideon’s men left with the band, while his own retreated to their corners of his upstate New York mansion for the night. Discussions of their new partnerships went well, though he knew the clock had started to unwind already. Din knew better than to trust the man before him. Just as Din’s name whispered an endless list of legends, so did Gideon’s. But where Din was admirable, Gideon was cruel. He could trust him, just as easily as one trusted their hand in the mouth of a crocodile.  
  
The partnership was a temporary means to an end. A chance to keep Gideon and his bloodhounds at bay while he searched for a permanent solution.   
  
If they were working together, it’d take more time for Giden to realize what he wanted was safely tucked in the makeshift nursery upstairs. 

So for now, he strung a pleasant smile across his face. Din nuzzled his nose against Fennec’s soft hair, his arm wrapped around her shoulders as Greef took the remaining champagne glasses back to the kitchen. His mind was already elsewhere, _specifically_ in the shadows overlooking the room from above. He counted the seconds of his affectionate display, keeping up the appearance perfectly. Only a short time now and all pretenses could be dropped.

“Thank you for joining us,” Fennec said, and what would he do without his brilliant partner? The woman would make the only appropriate replacement in just a few short years. Gideon nodded, gracious and respectful of his host while Pershing returned the pleasantries. 

“We will send an invitation to our estate in a few weeks, Djarin. Until then, it was an honor,” Gideon concluded as they rose from the table. Din extended his hand, grateful the traditionalist would burn his home to the ground before he exchanged farewell kisses. The gesture was extended only to his young companion as Gideon did the same with Fennec. 

With the house vacant once again, Din took the last cigar from the brown box on the table and rolled it between his fingers. Fennec offered him a light, her own opera length holder in her other hand. He nodded, the smirk spread across his face as he puffed the first blow of smoke. Notes of coffee beans, ripened figs, and cedar fell on his tongue as his lungs expanded and contracted. “That went well. Thank you.” 

“You’d be lost without me, Din. Everyone knows that.” 

“Such bold assumptions, Lady Shand,” he laughed before another puff parted his lips. “As the lady of this house, I expect more respect in the future.” 

Her raised eyebrow told him not to push his luck any further, but the matching smile on her face confirmed everything he already knew. The arrangement worked to their advantage equally, able to conceal the identity of their respective lovers. Din glanced out the window, the moon already starting to hang low in the starry night sky. He pressed the cigar into the silver ashtray, knowing if anything else was to be made of his night it was time to bid his last companion goodnight. 

“I believe someone else is on your mind,” Fennec teased, her own cigarette extinguished. She turned on her heel headed for her corridors with the proud smile still on her face. 

“You think you know everything,” he called after her. 

“ _Goodnight_ , Din. Do try not to be too obnoxious.” 

Din began his descent up the curved charcoal staircase, enough light in the room to lead his way. The banister overlooking the room provided the optimal place to place his last security measure, with enough shadows extended to keep his bodyguard in the dark. Din's eyes were adjusted to the shadows, though. He knew where to find him, like every other time the man took this vantage point. Hunched over the trailing with his eyes fixated out over the room ever astute, his hands were extended in front of him, leather gloves covering the soft skin underneath. 

Din stopped his approach, his lips only a few inches away from the shell of Cobb’s ear. He breathed hotly against the skin, his hand planted in the small of the man’s back, enjoying the way Cobb’s tense muscles relaxed at the recognition of his hands on him. “Were you jealous watching me dance with Fennec all night?” 

“Should I send Boba a ‘gram to tell him you plan on permanently stealing his wife-to-be? I expected better from you, _Boss._ ” The sly curve of Cobb’s lips betrayed the teasing nature of his words and Din elicited an annoyed hum as his mouth pressed just under the man’s earlobe. 

“Come now, have you grown so secure in your place you hold no jealousy at all?” 

“You’re the one latched onto my skin like a leech.” 

“ _Cobb_ ,” Din mumbled, teeth grazing at soft skin. This time, he was rewarded with the faintest whisper of his name from the man’s lips. His smile pressed against Cobb’s jaw, reaching for one of his hands. “That should have been us tonight if Gideon wouldn’t use that information against me eventually.”

“I know.” His nose brushed against Din's as their foreheads fell together. “Do you expect me to fall on my knees and beg you to risk my life? I know no woman, not even Fennec in that pantsuit, could hold your attention.” 

Din huffed a laugh at the show of confidence. They’d come far from the early weeks of their blooming relationship and for that, he was glad. “Should we take our coffee for the night?” 

Cobb moved gracefully around the kitchen, apart from the overemphasized sway of his hips. How he avoided spilling a single drop as he sashayed to the table was beyond Din. With the two cups placed on opposite sides of the table, they both took their seats. Steam rose from the cup, a perfect excuse to push it to the side. Instead, every twirl of Cobb’s wrist as he stirred the mixing spoon captivated Din’s attention. It was stupid, so very _stupid_ to be so easily consumed by things so insignificant. But that was the way it had been for some time now. All of Cobb’s ticks, both good and bad, stirred him into some kind of trance. Snapping fingers and pressing demands from his Covert wouldn’t be enough to pull him back. Ever willing to accept his fate when bested, Din leaned against the back of his chair. His eyes fluttered as Cobb popped the spoon inside his cheek. Little heartbeats stuttered in his chest, as his hands ran up his thighs.  
  
This was a long game and he wasn’t prepared to lose just yet.  
  
“And Grogu is safe?”  
  
“Nicely tucked up last I checked. Peli took her shift before I came to wait on you.”  
  
His eyes darted towards the top of the staircase. Apart from needing the team of bodyguards for his own purposes, they had become increasingly important since finding Grogu. The little green _fae_ , for Din had no other words to describe him, was highly sought after. Keeping all of their covers meant leading Gideon and Pershing to believe he was on their side. He’d grown far fonder of the kid than he ever planned, but there was little to be done about that now. “Perhaps I should go myself. You know he can be fussy if I’m not the one to put him to bed.”  
  
Cobb gave his hand a reassuring, the teasing smile replaced by one soft and sincere. “If you think that best. But Peli’s got it and if it comes to be a problem, she’ll get ya.”  
  
“What would you have me do with the rest of my evening then?” He raised an eyebrow, smirking as a pink hue filled Cobb’s cheeks in the darkness. Din’s stomach flipped in those rare moments. For all the man’s self-assurance and bold confidence, the sheepish traits still bled through.  
  
“I can think of quite a few things.” 

Din circled the table, lifting Cobb’s hand in his own. He graced Cobb’s knuckles with his lips, bowing at the waist in reverence. “May I have this dance?” 

“I’m a bad dancer.” He rose from the table at the invitation all the same. “And _you_ are a shit one, Boss.” 

Din fingers laced around Cobb’s hand, who curled his fingers over the space between his thumb and index finger in return. Din left hand tiptoed down Cobb’s back, drawing the man ever closer as it settled around his hips. “But you’ll still do anything to find a home in my arms,” Din purred against his cheek. 

Their chest bumped together as he led, the music of the night still etched on the walls of his home. They circled the room together, Din guiding each of Cobb’s moves. All night, he’d longed to replace pretenses with Fennec for the man he adored. Without the noise and crowds, he was free to adore the man without wandering eyes formulating unwarranted opinions. On another night, he’d be proud to walk with Cobb by his side, on his arm even, but there was also a certain magic in having Cobb to himself. 

He inhaled the mix of iris and strawflower rising from Cobb’s neck and pressed the tip of his nose just under the man’s cheekbone. “You’re wearing the gift I bought you.”

“You’re overthinkin’ it,” Cobb replied, mischief carrying his words. 

“Oh? And you’re certain you know every thought in my head?” 

The hand Cobb rested on his shoulder slid down his chest, flirting with the lapel of his jacket. Cobb’s touch was the metronome of his heart, keeping the rhythm of his soul at a steady pace. The faint brush of thin lips against his made Din exhale, the room slowed to the single phenomenon of kissing this man. With his eyes closed, Din felt the weightlessness of falling before the serenity of being caught. His eyes blinked slowly, adjusting to the new surroundings. Somewhere, Cobb had assumed the lead of their dance. Now, their faces were mere inches apart as Cobb supported him in the dip. His bodyguard radiated like a golden sun above him, shining for only Din’s eyes to see. Mere mortals weren’t made to stare at such beauty, but Din would rather go blind than look away. 

Everything Din held dear resided in the brown eyes observing him. The hand securing his back stroked through his jacket, singular thoughts seeding from the simple actions Cobb made. Din was stripped down to bare bones allowing himself to be held like this, left raw to the mercy of someone else’s intentions. It was exhilarating. It was consuming. It was all he wanted, without restraint or judgment. 

Their mouths met again for just a moment, passion ricocheting inside Din with the intensity of lightning sparking a fire. It was a teaser of sorts, the kind that dragged the most strong-willed to their knees. He craved more, _demanded_ more. 

“I know you, yes,” Cobb finally replied, lifting them both upright. 

“Show me.” 

Two fingers balanced Din's chin, while the other two stretched to follow the curve of his jaw. Cobb’s thumb made fire scorch through his veins, though. It slipped over his bottom lip, the pad loosely hooked on his bottom teeth. Cobb’s cerulean eyes darkened, daring Din to bite, intimidating and controlling in the best of ways. This delicate dance they started months ago hinged on the ever swaying power and control of seduction. Din tried not to gulp, determined not to surrender the satisfaction so easily. But Cobb didn’t move his hand as he swayed closer, the music of the night still impressed through the room. Din closed his mouth, his tongue darting around the tip of Cobb’s thumb with a _pop_. 

“ _Boss_ ,” he whispered, and Din's blood froze from want. The word indicated, more than anything else, how the hierarchy should fall at his feet. Apart from Fennec, no one would dare undermine his authority— but here was Cobb, threatening to consume him. Din's muted laugh vibrated his chest before he grinned. Every wickedly fantastic thought running through Cobb’s head was free to be explored, so long as he is the only participant. 

His fingers latched around Cobb’s biceps and his eyes fluttered at the developed muscle he found there. He’d make time for an appearance at the boxing club, but for now, Din took step after step backward until his back hit the wall. It’s only then Cobb’s finger dropped from his mouth, thumb pressing down his neck until his grip settled on Din's tie. He drew them closer, but still not enough for another kiss. 

“Did no one tell you not to play with your food, Vanth?”

“I would hate to stop so soon when you’re enjoying it, Djarin.” 

Their mouths were so close now and every breath Cobb released, Din, inhaled. His head spun when the next thing he recognized was his bodyguard’s hands, crumpled into fists around his waistcoat. Cobb lifted him against the wall and the spinning twirled into a wind storm of enthusiastic want. Din shallow breaths revealed the craze of emotions pounding inside his body and Cobb’s eyes darkened. 

The man still didn’t kiss him and that wouldn’t do. His tongue painted his own lips, head tilted down to look at Cobb. “I think you’ve forgotten a crucial step.” 

One hand released his waistcoat and Din gasped, low and shivery, as Cobb guided his left leg around his waist. Din's body burned in each place they merged, fingers clawing at the layer of clothing separating him from Cobb’s cool skin. He needed the contact to wash cold over him, the mix of sensations promising to send him to nirvana. 

“Better?” Cobb asked, quivering in equal measure. 

Possessive thoughts made Din's heart soar at the display of equal desire as he shook his head, leaning in closer. “One more thing.” 

He got what he wanted as Cobb’s mouth crashed against his, rough and demanding. Din's eyes rolled into his head, fingers scratching at the groove of muscle underneath them. His tongue lapped at soft skin, asking for entrance he readily received. 

Din was no stranger to addictive substances. Running the Covert, a task he never asked for, had somehow become the first. Second, came the chill in his bones with breaking every one of the government’s ridiculous rules. Everything paled compared to the intensity of kissing Cobb. Each new time, he was beaconed to him like a ship lost at sea. The nip of teeth across his tongue was an anchor, keeping him at port. 

His hands dragged up the man’s back, curving around strong shoulders. He pulled and stroked soft locks between his fingers, his body curving against Cobb’s chest. Din groaned when one hand dropped to his hips, the point of connection sizzling from the urgency. He thought of the double bed just up the stairs, the velvet sheets calling to be wrapped around them as they move together. Yet, the magnetic pull of the brick wall kept them in place. 

“Cobb— _Cobb_ ,” he moaned when the first kiss broke. His chin rested on top of the man’s head, Cobb’s face nuzzled in the groove of his neck then. The intensity of one kiss has already made sweat pool along his hairline, dampening Din's skin. 

Din wanted more. He always wanted more. His hands ached from restraint, annoyed by the clothes that kept him from enticing more beautiful sounds from his lover. His lips craved taste after taste, Cobb’s lips and tongue a fountain that would never quench his thirst—one he could keep drinking from until death did them part. Above all, Din wished selfishly for more of this man taking all that he was. 

Sleep be damned. Work tomorrow could fall apart at the wayside too. 

Nothing fucking mattered if it wasn’t Cobb kissing him _here_ or touching him _there_. 

They couldn’t continue like this— at least not against the wall. 

“My room, _now,_ ” he grunted in his lover’s ear and Cobb snapped into attention at the order. 

Ever prepared and happy to oblige him, Cobb’s pleasant laugh shot electricity down his spine. “What do you expect me to do?” He asked, already wrapping Din's other leg around his waist. “ _Carry_ you through this house? _Knock_ _down_ your door? _Throw_ you on the bed? _Fuck_ you senseless?” 

His arms scrambled to latch around Cobb’s neck as he was peeled away from the wall. His own mirthful laugh followed as his hands stroked the back of his lover’s neck. “Don’t complain so much. I know you like it.” 

They stumbled through the halls of his home, hands gripping his ass tightly. Hushed laughter ricocheted in the empty halls. Before too long, he was placed on something cold just outside his door. His eyes blinked open, hands patting the stone window seat. Cobb had one hand on the door handle, but Din was faster. With Cobb securely trapped between his legs, Din dragged him in for another kiss.  
  
The next time they parted, Din cupped Cobb’s face between his hands. Broken breaths blew hotly against his face, while Cobb’s mustache scratched just below his nose. Din nuzzled their foreheads together, trying to steady the erratic beats of his heart. The few seconds of rest didn’t last long. Cobb’s finger trailed his bottom lip, eyes alight with feverish desire. Shivers crawled down Din's back when it circled, latching under his chin. He tilted his head like Cobb’s touch was a commandment, Din's personal religion. He’d long given up all the reasons why they shouldn’t want this, why his days couldn’t be filled with work, the nights reserved for Grogu, while twilight was spent entangled together. With Cobb’s touch burning his skin, he wished he never wasted time. 

The wind howling outside his window tonight was nothing compared to the sounds of his stuttered breathing as Cobb inched ever closer. “I want,” he mumbled, eyes searching Din's face for an invitation. For permission, for evidence of the paralleled lust currently cracking against his ribs. 

_Then have me_ , he wanted to plead. The thought was lost on his tongue, teeth sinking into his lip. The idea of begging for anyone was foreign; it threatened to spill every drop if he slashed the vein and exposed himself to that level of vulnerability. Cobb waited, ever patient, as Din's tongue clicked in his mouth. “Say it,” he finally demanded, hands flirting with the buttoned lapels of Cobb’s suit jacket. 

“I want _you_. Let me— let me—“ He trembled as he spoke, still waiting for his consent.  
  
Warm breaths scorched Din's lips, his throat readily turning dry. With his hands locked around the back of Cobb's neck, he stole another kiss. “I’m yours.”  
  
Cobb scooped him up again and Din almost saw stars. Before the blurs of different sceneries caught up with him, his weight sunk into something soft beneath him. Soft velvet rubbed against his palms as he confirmed his surroundings. His room. His bed. The door shut. Alone together, at last.  
  


Propped up on his elbows, excitement burst in brilliant colors as Cobb slid between his bent legs. Before he could reach for the back of Cobb’s neck, his hands were trapped at his sides. With Cobb arched over him, Din could barely see the triumphant grin. Chills left goosebumps, too close to begging for absolution. “I don’t pay you to tease.” 

Cobb’s teeth nipped his jaw. “You haven’t paid me for months.” 

“Perhaps our business relationship was better when I did.” 

“ _Shut up_ ,” was poorly hissed between a hearty laugh. The twitch of words against his lips died as Cobb stole a gentle kiss. “You like how things are. You _love_ m— my hands all over you. You keep comin’ back to my lips. You offered me the place in your bed.” 

“What was that?” He asked, pride threatening to combust the swell of emotions built up inside him. Din twisted his head, drawing their faces closer together only to pull away, before repeating the motion. His eyes traced each of his favorite features on Cobb’s handsome face, smirking. “ _I love_ _you_ , yes. Even more than you know.” 

Cobb lunged forward then, the wreckage of his kiss making teeth knock together. Din groaned as his hands were freed, allowing him access to the groove of strong shoulder blades. His nails moved along the plane, still blocked by the layers of clothes Cobb wore. He needed to touch, he longed to scratch and imprint his touch on the beautiful canvas. But, once again, he found himself powerless to Cobb’s glorious will. He squirmed as hips moved together, arching when Cobb shifted to _sit on him._

Din panted when Cobb released him from the kiss, empty without the fervent warmth. “I take it back,” he huffed. “I don’t love you...you...you’re a damned tease.” 

Hands tugged at Din's tie, slipping the tail back through the loop. Inch by inch, Cobb removed his first item of clothing from around his neck. “That’s only true if you don’t enjoy it, Boss.” 

“And you’re the expert on what I enjoy?” 

Two buttons exposed a little line down his neck, and Cobb’s tongue was quick to paint the new skin. Din's traitorous pulse pumped under the lavish touches and he sighed the man’s name like a curse. It only earned him a scratch of teeth, too light to break the skin. Din's fingers tugged at the hairs on the base of Cobb’s skull, moaning as the mixture of tongue and teeth intensified on his throat. 

“ _Kriff_ ,” he grunted. “ _Cobb_.” 

“You’re fuckin’ losing it over so little,” Cobb whispered. “Try tellin’ me again I’m not well studied.” 

Another button popped open, and another, and another until Din's shirt was pushed open to his shoulders. His clavicle was at Cobb’s mercy, and his hands fisted into the velvet blanket under him. He never allowed anyone else to seize this power over him, but he was so close to begging time to freeze to this moment. The ripple of pleasure coursed through his body, curling all the way to his toes. “You’re right— just don’t— don’t stop.” 

“I love you too,” Cobb mumbled, kissing the dip of his sternum. Din cried at the simple declaration, the words paralyzing his body. He suspected as his feelings grew, after each time they fell into his bed, that this bloomed far further than the carnal hypnotism with which it began. But hearing the declaration voiced by the man he adored, carried by the thick, blessed Southern accent, was another realization entirely. 

It wouldn’t do to let someone with an ego know how much power he had. But his most sensitive nerves all resided in his neck, and there was little he could do if Cobb’s mouth fixated all its energy on the small radius. Din bucked when teeth grazed, his skin singeing until it turned to charcoal. His hands twitched in the bedsheets when Cobb kissed him _here. There. Everywhere._

Din knew what would happen if anyone outside of his Covert discovered this most cherished secret. He should stop the marks incinerating him before there was little area left unmarked. But his greed caged the objection, destroying the key. Fennec and an army of the best makeup money could buy would need to be his saving grace tomorrow. People might even believe his ‘wife’ was responsible if he was so lucky. 

He’d know though. Every time a man looked him in the eyes, every flapper he passed at the club tomorrow, would all gossip about the one he inevitably missed. With Cobb following step-after-step behind him, Din would remember the flicker of tongue soothing yet another bite. They might even find a secluded area to continue tonight’s entertainment. 

Cobb shifted again, lying on top of him now. Fingers massaged Din's scalp, while tongue and teeth continued their artwork. It was _marvelous_ , Cobb was simply _marvelous_. How he ever lived without this man was a question Din didn’t want answered and a life he no longer desired. As he hummed, Cobb’s chest vibrated with a low chuckle. 

“You’re purring, Din. You’ll wake everyone up.” 

“Then they should buy their own property and stop infesting mine,” he grumbled, fingers scratching the base of Cobb’s skull once more.  
  
“And what about the kid?”  
  
Din grumbled, nodding his head towards the bedside table. “Your scarf’s still in there if I get too loud.” 

Another round of kisses curved around his jaw and Din's knees bent as his legs hooked around Cobb’s hips. The man’s divine tongue traced the place where his neck met his head, taking every liberty to only worship this one area. Din couldn’t think, couldn’t focus long enough to ask for attention anywhere else. Instead, Cobb caused another delighted sigh and then a content moan and he melted into his heavenly mattress. 

His hands circled to the front of Cobb’s suit, fumbling with the buttons he found. He nearly _yelped_ when a quick hand grabbed both of his wrists, slamming his hands above his head in one swift movement. The display of stars blurred his vision and Din blinked furiously trying to find Cobb in the darkness. Deep-set eyes greeted Din once he was able to see, and the devil-may-care smile his bodyguard wore made blood swirl until it pooled concentrated. 

“No.” 

“What do you mean _no_?” Din heaved, intrigued by the sudden flash of possession and control Cobb was taking.

“I— well.” Cobb paused, teeth worrying his bottom lip. The touch of softness in his lover’s hesitance compelled Din to press a tender kiss to his lips. They look at each other in silence, a million words exchanged in just a few looks. 

Din would never surrender control to anyone else, least of all so willingly. But for this man, at this moment? His mouth dried, the exasperated groan puffing broken breathes from his lips. His heart accelerated in his ears as finally, Din begged for the first time in his life. “You have my permission. I want you. Just— Cobb, don’t stop. Cobb _please_.” 

The seductive siren regained its control and Cobb smirked down at him once again. “You said you’re mine. I want to show you what that means.”

The hand around Din's wrist tightened, effectively pinning them to the bed. Cobb resumed the trail of kisses he’d been planting only moments ago, slowly creeping his way to the center of his chest. Down, down, _down_. Cobb’s tongue left a trail down his stomach, stopping just above the curve of his trousers.  
  
His back arched, whining at the sudden retreat. Sweat drenched his forehead, blood still swirling wildly through his veins. The pressure of Cobb’s body weight was gone now, but not far judging by the indents of the bed. His hand reached out, only to be lovingly stopped. Fingers patted down the messy mop of his hair, combing it back into place. Only once he sat upright in bed did Din recognize the endless knocking at his door.  
  
“Told you, you were bein’ too loud.” With a wink, Cobb jumped to his feet, allowing Din the opportunity to button up his shirt. Cobb opened the door just enough to reveal Peli on the other side, holding the fussy, squirming fae in her arms.  
  
“I hope we aren’t interruptin’ anything, but the little one woke up in a fit and I couldn’t get him to quiet down again.”  
  
“Nothin’ at all, Peli. I’m sure the little guy just wanted his papa.”  
  
“Fennec also said to hush up, but she was a lot less cute about it.”  
  
“You can tell Fennec she is welcome to sleep out in the shed,” Din grumbled.  
  
“I think you’ll find yourself out there in the end,” Cobb replied, scooping Grogu from Peli’s arms. “We’ll take it from here.”  
  
There was something in the way Cobb shifted tones, as though the first never even existed. Grogu threw his arms over his neck, his face buried and muting the exhausted cries. This was far from the ending Din foresaw for the night. His expectations were shelved, the world around them softened. He’d come close to having other partners before. Too quickly, they all demanded something of him Din was unwilling or unable to give. When Grogu crashed into his life, the idea of such things faded into the background. His world had been complete there and then, against all rhyme and reason. In the simplest of ways, Cobb yet again proved there was no need for such compromise.  
  
“Where’d you go, Boss? You’re just staring at me with your mouth popped open.”  
  
“Just thinking.”  
  
“Wanna go hop in the ‘fresher? I think I got this one settled down a bit until you get back.”  
  
With a nod, Din excused himself. By the time he returned from rinsing off in the cold shower, Cobb had his back folded against the door. Grogu was curled up in the middle of the bed, one hand still gripping Cobb’s finger tightly. Careful not to disturb either of them, Din took his place on the far side of the mattress. He gingerly pushed away the thick lock of hair drooping down over Cobb’s eyes, before placing a kiss to his temple.  
  
“It’s time to sleep.” The hushed, groggy complaint only made Din give a low chuckle, careful to avoid stirring Grogu.  
  
“I can take over from here. The guest room is ready for you.”  
  
Cobb shook his head lazily. “You ain’t kickin’ me out of bed. Lie down and sleep.”  
  
“Alright, Vanth.” He pushed the stubborn mess of hairs away from Cobb’s forehead once again. With the blanket over the three of them, Din pulled both closer. For all his Covert brought, nothing would ever compare to the two treasures in his arms. Each day might bring them closer to Gideon’s growing threat, but above all else, he vowed to keep them safe.


End file.
